Russia - China ties still on the agenda

The Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is in Moscow for the close of the 'Year of China in Russia' – an initiative to boost trade and partnerships between the two countries – as well as for the opening of the second Russian-Chinese economic

Mr Jiabao and Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the opening of the forum.

Russia wants to move the trade relationship beyond the export of energy and raw materials.

One item on the agenda is a proposal to boost Chinese investment in Russia through construction tenders for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

A range of agreements is expected to be signed, from small business to nuclear power engineering.

“Chinese economy needs a lot of things we have: oil, gas and other raw materials, and a lot of different kinds of equipment. Also we need the investment. We need consumer goods, so I think the prospects are fine and as long as our economies develop – and they are developing – I think that our trade and our overall economic relations will grow very fast,” assured Mr Bazhanov.